Chapter 42
~~ MICHAEL ~~
We pulled up outside of the apartment Lily used to live in and waited for Lucien and Ramon to arrive. They should only be about five minutes behind, due to the traffic lights we hit after we’d left the hospital. George was feeling better and did nothing but complain. He wanted us to break him out of there, but Lily soothed his ruffled feathers. He’d settled back down and Lily had made him promise to behave himself or she wouldn’t sneak some chocolate in when she visited again.
Lily was happy, which in turn made me happy. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I was so happy. After breakfast in bed and a shower away from her, that nearly killed me, I held her hand and walked her downstairs to meet up with my brothers.
She’s kissed my hand and then released me to hug them. I noticed the hug she gave Lucien lasted longer than the one she gave Ramon. Lily and Lucien caught my frown. Lucien laughed, then Lily walked back over to me and pulled my head down for a kiss. As she lifted up she’d nearly lost her joggers, which had Ramon’s eyes bulging out of his head.
“Hey, what are you smiling at?” Lily asked me.
“I was thinking about you nearly losing the joggers and Ramon’s reaction.”
“Oh my god! I was just glad your t-shirt covered my butt.”
“I think I would have hit my brothers for looking at your butt.”
She started giggling and had trouble stopping until Lucien opened her door and caused her to tumble out. Luckily he caught her.
I shot out of the car and ran around to her. “Are you all right?” I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms.
“Of course I’m all right. Lucien caught me so I didn’t land on the sidewalk. But I think I’ve hurt your brother.”
“He’ll be okay. Come on, let’s get this over with.”
“Michael.” She hit me on the arm, not hard, but enough to get my attention. “I can’t believe you’d walk off and not bother to make sure your brother is okay.”
I looked across to Lucien and he did actually look in pain. He was white around the mouth and looked to be protecting his side. “Lucien, is Lily right? Did she hurt you when she fell on you?”
“I’m fine,” he replied in a tight voice.
“Okay Lucien. You’re not fine. Come with me.” She left Ramon and I on the sidewalk as she took hold of Lucien’s arm and pulled him to the entrance of the apartments.
“I think they’ve adopted each other,” Ramon stated. “I meant as brother and sister. He won’t try and poach her from you. If he tried she wouldn’t go anyway. So you have nothing to worry about, brother.”
“Thanks Ramon. Are you okay? You’ve been acting kinda odd lately?”
“I’m fine,” he said, following our brother and my woman into the building with me trailing behind.
I knew he was right. I’d just never been possessive about a woman before, or anything for that matter. The depth of my feelings for Lily were really intense. I didn’t want to smother her, but I needed her with me and no one else.
I shook my head and tried to get rid of my possessive tendency then walked into the apartment, which wasn’t anything like what I expected. With how neat as a pin Lily had always been, I expected something along the modern line, but this was more Victorian. It was nice.
“Michael, would you mind grabbing the two pictures on the table next to you?” Lily asked as she walked out of another room towards my brother on the sofa.
The pictures were obviously of her parents, and it looked like maybe grandparents as well. With them in hand, I walked further into the lounge so I could hear what was going on.
“Lily, please stop fussing. Michael will you tell your woman I’m fine and that I don’t like being mollycoddled,” Lucien grumbled.
“Oh Lucien, be quiet. You’re in pain. You are going to take these painkillers. Just sit there and let them start to work, then you can move.”
Both Ramon and I tried not to laugh at the image of Lily standing in front of Lucien with her hands on her hips while Lucien decided whether she was serious or not.
“Lucien, you’re hurting because I landed on you. Please take the painkillers and sit for a bit, otherwise I’m going to be stressed all day worrying about you. Please.”
“F*ck,” he said under his breath. “Give me the painkillers and go bug someone else.”
She watched him take the tablets like a prison guard, then smirked. “Good boy.” She quickly walked off into what looked like the bedroom while Lucien scowled at her back.
“Do not say a word…. to anyone,” he warned.
Of course we just laughed.
“Michael, Ramon, can you come and carry these into the front room?” she shouted.
“Have fun, brothers.” Lucien put his feet up on the coffee table and got comfortable in the chair.
I walked into the bedroom she’d shared with David and tried not to imagine them in the bed. At least I didn’t have to see David. Lily had rang and told him we were on our way over, so he’d told Lily he would take Lucy out for breakfast so their paths wouldn’t cross.
Truth be told, Lily didn’t seem too bothered that David was with someone else, which made me feel relieved. I was slightly worried that she’d buried her feelings to keep them from me, because he’d been seeing Lucy for a lot longer than what Lily initially thought.
“Michael, get moving,” Ramon shoved me from behind and I bent down to pick up a stack of shoe boxes. I walked into the lounge and placed them on top of the sideboard, just as I felt someone pinch my ass. I jumped and turned around to find Lily in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Thank you for this, Michael,” she mumbled into my chest.
I ran my fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head. “I’d do anything for you.” Our mouths met in a soft caress of lips and tongue. I tasted her.
“Get a room,” Ramon grouched from not too far away.
“I have lots of rooms, which I want to get back to soon, so let’s get this lot loaded.”
I reluctantly put Lily to one side and watched her walk over to sit beside Lucien.
“I’ll give you a hand in a minute. I just want to check on your brother.” She gave me a huge grin and winked.
Ramon grabbed two of the suitcases and I picked up the same stack of shoe boxes as before. I trudged down the flight of stairs behind my brother while I left my woman upstairs to bother Lucien.
Ramon turned to look at me and did a double take. “Why are you looking at me with that grin on your face?”
“I’m thinking about Lucien and how Lily’s fussing over him.”
“And you’re laughing about it?”
We loaded the back of the car with some of Lily’s things. “Yeah I am. Oh come on Ramon, you know how much he hates having anyone fuss over him. Lily will drive him mad.”
“Yeah, he usually puts up with mom for five minutes before giving her orders to get out.”
“Exactly, except something tells me Lily won’t be as easy to get rid of, more so because she feels responsible for him hurting right now.”
I opened the door for Ramon on our way back inside, only to be greeted by Lily on her way down with a suitcase and a rather large rolling pin.
“Give me that,” I said and jokingly took the rolling pin from her. I laughed at the look on her face.
“Okay, if you insist.”
I took hold of the suitcase while she burst out laughing with Ramon.
“Why are you carrying a rolling pin?” I asked.
“I thought I would bring it out now so I’m not tempted to use it on your brother.”
“He can be stubborn. You’ll be lucky if he hasn’t made a getaway while you’re down here.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” she looked from me to Ramon, “would he?”
“You better go check.”
She turned tail and ran back up the stairs with us trailing her.
We came to a stop on the landing because she was standing in front of Lucien with her hands on her hips.
“You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” she told him.
“So everyone tells me. Lily I’m okay, I promise. I really appreciate your concern, but I need to go.”
She let out a whoosh of air. “Oh all right. But don’t you dare forget coffee next week.”
“I won’t.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek while he hugged her. “Thank you, Lily.”
He walked over to me and Ramon. “Catch you later. I’m going to walk some and catch a taxi back to the hotel.”